The Governor of Utah is the head of the executive branch of Utah's state government[2] and the commander-in-chief of its military forces.[3] The governor has a duty to enforce state laws[2] as well as the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Utah Legislature.[4] The governor may also convene the legislature on "extraordinary occasions".[5]

There have been 17 governors of the State of Utah, with the longest serving being Calvin L. Rampton, who served three terms from 1965 to 1977. Olene Walker served the shortest term, the remaining 14 months of Mike Leavitt's term upon Leavitt's resignation to become head of the Environmental Protection Agency. At the age of 36, Heber Manning Wells was the youngest person to become governor. At the age of 70, Simon Bamberger became the oldest person to be elected, while Olene Walker, at age 72, was the oldest person to succeed to the office. Currently, a term of service is set at four years, and there are no overall limits (consecutive or lifetime) to the number of terms one may be elected to serve. Elections for the office of Governor of Utah are normally held in November of the same year as the United States presidential election.

The current governor is Gary Herbert, who took office on August 11, 2009, upon the resignation of Jon Huntsman, Jr., to become United States Ambassador to China. Governor Herbert was elected to fill the remainder of Huntsman's term in November 2010, and was later re-elected to serve another term beginning in January 2017.

There is an official seal of the Governor of Utah. Borrowing most of the same symbolism from the State Seal, the Governor's seal includes Roman numerals at the bottom, which represent the Governor himself, and this changes with every new Governor. Each Governor therefore has a seal unique to themselves and their administration. The Roman numerals are currently "XVII", representing Gary Herbert, who is the 17th governor of Utah since Statehood.

A constitutional convention was convened in Salt Lake City on March 8, 1849, to work on a proposal for federal recognition of a state or territory. The convention resulted in the provisional State of Deseret. Deseret claimed most of present-day Utah, Nevada and Arizona, with parts of California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Oregon, and Wyoming. Brigham Young was elected governor on March 12, 1849, and the legislature first met on July 2, 1849.[7][8] The state, having never been recognized by the federal government, was formally dissolved on April 5, 1851,[9] several months after word of the creation of Utah Territory reached Salt Lake City.

The territory initially consisted of present-day Utah, most of Nevada, and portions of Colorado and Wyoming. On February 28, 1861, the creation of Colorado Territory took land from the eastern side of Utah Territory. Nevada Territory was organized from the western section of Utah Territory on March 2, 1861.[13] Also on that date, Nebraska Territory gained area from the northeastern part of Utah Territory. Nevada Territory gained area from Utah Territory on July 14, 1862, and again on May 5, 1866, after becoming a state. Wyoming Territory was created on July 25, 1868, from Nebraska Territory, taking more area from the northeast corner, giving Utah Territory its final borders.

The governor has a four-year term, commencing on the first Monday of the January after an election.[46] The Constitution of Utah originally stated that, should the office of governor be vacant, the power be devolved upon the Secretary of State,[47] but the office of Lieutenant Governor was created in 1976,[48] and a 1980 constitutional amendment added it to the constitution.[49] If the office of governor becomes vacant during the first year of the term, the lieutenant governor becomes governor until the next general election; if it becomes vacant after the first year of the term, the lieutenant governor becomes governor for the remainder of the term.[50] The offices of governor and lieutenant governor are elected on the same ticket.[51] The Governor of Utah was formerly limited to serving three terms, but all term limit laws were repealed by the Utah Legislature in 2003; Utah is one of the few states where gubernatorial term limits are not determined by the constitution.[52]

^Due to the long distance between Washington and Salt Lake City, and the slow speed of communications and travel of the day, weeks or months could go by between the appointment of a governor and the governor actually taking office. The actual dates governors took office are sometimes vague; the ones in this list are cited mostly with contemporary news coverage, but other resources and almanacs give slightly different dates.[14]

^Alfred Cumming was appointed governor in April 1857,[16] but due to the Utah War did not take office for a year. In September 1857, he departed from Kansas along with a detachment of the U.S. Army.[17] He wintered at Fort Bridger[18] and entered Salt Lake City on April 12,[19] whereupon he was recognized as governor of the territory.

^Vaughan was Secretary of the Territory at the time of Shaffer's death, and so acted as governor until word of his own appointment arrived several days later. His appointment was to be only temporary until President Grant could determine a suitable successor.[32]

^Each term for which a governor is elected is listed here; if multiple governors served in a single term, due to resignations, deaths, and the like, then that term will be shared among those governors. If a governor was elected multiple times, then there will be multiple terms listed for that governor.

^The office of Lieutenant Governor was created in 1976.[48] Lieutenant governors were elected separately from the governor until 1980; those that represented a different party from their governor are noted.